The Ohio State Buckeyes have as good a case to be made as a College Football Playoff contender as any team in the nation, even as they prepare to take on a juggernaut, the Georgia Bulldogs, in the Peach Bowl. Ohio State football has a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback, an offense that can explode at any moment and a defense that can pressure the opposing passer.

Despite that, there are some who believe the Buckeyes have a shaky case, at best as a College Football Playoff contender. Part of the reason why is because of their leaky secondary, which reared its ugly head in the loss to the rival Michigan Wolverines.

Could the back end of the Buckeyes defense doom them against Georgia football? It might just be the fatal flaw that dooms them in the Peach Bowl.

Ohio State Football's Pass Defense Is Fatal Flaw Vs. Georgia

The Buckeyes brought in former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to help boost a defense that struggled mightily in nearly every facet of the game in 2021.

Knowles has done a fine job, as Ohio State football excels in keeping opponents off the scoreboard and has been equally stout against opposing passing attacks.

However, recent games have exposed the Buckeyes' secondary as more of a weakness than a strength. The unit has allowed 238.3 passing yards per contest in their last three games, per Team Rankings, including 250-plus passing yards and two-plus touchdown passes in each of their past two contests against Maryland and Michigan.

The Michigan game in particular was a poor product on tape for Ohio State football's defensive backs, who allowed passing scores of 45, 69 and 75 yards.

That level of play is simply not going to cut it in the College Football Playoff, where the aforementioned Wolverines, the TCU Horned Frogs and the Georgia Bulldogs football program all sport capable passing attacks.

And it will be the Georgia football attack that the Buckeyes will have to attempt to slow. The Bulldogs ranked inside the top-20 in passing offense this past year, with quarterback Stetson Bennett, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, checking in inside the top-20 in yards per pass attempt.

Bennett is rolling as well, as he is coming off of a four-touchdown, 279-yard performance against the LSU Tigers in an SEC Championship game victory.

The Bulldogs offense is similar to Michigan's in that they don't mind taking deep shots down the field.

There is certainly every reason to believe, given their recent performance on tape, that the Buckeyes won't be able to hold down the Bulldogs' passing attack in the Peach Bowl.

There is also a chance that Knowles gets them to correct any issues that popped up in the past few games and they resemble the unit from earlier in the year.

Until that happens, Ohio State football's passing defense has to be regarded as a fatal flaw that could ultimately result in a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl.

Time will tell as to what happens in the highly anticipated College Football Playoff matchup.